By Chad Kean, Examiner Contributor
The Indian Lake boys basketball team delivered a statement performance in tournament play Friday night, Feb. 27, riding a dominant third-quarter surge to a 66-50 victory over Milton-Union.
Indian Lake wasted no time seizing control.
The Lakers opened the district quarterfinal game on a 9-0 run, sparked by Brody Reisinger, who scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter. Milton-Union missed its first eight field-goal attempts as Indian Lake built a 17-9 lead after one.
The Bulldogs found some rhythm in the second quarter, matching the Lakers point-for-point in a 19-19 period. Still, they were unable to trim the deficit, and Indian Lake carried a 36-28 advantage into halftime.
The decisive stretch came in the third quarter.
The Lakers erupted on a 14-1 run to break the game open. Reisinger and Avery Pequignot — who finished with 19 points — combined for 15 in the period. Indian Lake also controlled the free-throw line, converting 8-of-9 attempts during the surge to extend the lead to 57-42 entering the fourth quarter.
A quick four-point burst to begin the final period pushed the margin to 19 and effectively put the game out of reach. Milton-Union was forced to foul, and the Lakers capitalized.
Indian Lake finished 18-of-22 from the free-throw line (82 percent) and controlled the tempo down the stretch. Collin Bendler added 12 points to round out the Lakers’ balanced scoring effort.
With the win, Indian Lake advances in the Division V North 1 Tournament and will face Preble Shawnee Tuesday, March 3, at 6 p.m. at Bethel High School.
